Arati Saha has many accolades in the world of swimming. In 1959, she became the first Asian woman to cross the English Channel. Her journey as one of the most iconic swimmers from India resulted in plenty of accolades for her. She became the only Indian sportswoman to be awarded the Padma Shri. Her story of determination, success and resilience is an inspiration to many even today.
Born on September 24, 1940, Saha started swimming at the age of 4 and by the age of five, she had already won a gold medal in the 110 yards freestyle event in a swimming competition. In the 50s, Saha won 22 state-level competitions in West Bengal with her main events being the 100 metres freestyle, 100 metres breast stroke and 200 metres breast stroke. Her first Olympics was in the 1952 games in Helsinki and following that, she concentrated only on the breast stroke.
Saha also participated…